2/1, Lawrence Style

Defensive Bidding

Sandwich Overcalls

Black Text = OK for all partners

Azure Text = OK for partner C

Green Text = OK for partner B

Brown Text = OLD Methods, Now Discarded

Dark Red Text = NEW Methods, Proposed, DO NOT USE Without First Discussing With Your Partner

OVERCALL 1 OF A SUIT

Because we play that a sandwich overcall of 1NT shows a 2-suited hand with 5-4 shape, that affects what an overcall in suit could mean. At first glance, these requirements seem stringent, but one must remember that both opponents have bid and the chances for a game are extremely remote, while the dangers of being penalized are high.

A 1H overcall (they bid 1C - (P) - 1D - ? )
This is what advancer will expect (in a perfect world):
  1. Eight to 16 HCP
  2. Six hearts of not very good quality (see the jump overcall)(stronger hands may have only 5 hearts)
  3. Tolerance for spades (this is negotiable; the partnership may decide to play that the call warns against spades, in which case the requirements for the heart suit would be strengthened, but the Retropoet prefers that it show a tolerance for spades, which may help quiet the opposition).

A 1S overcall
This is what advancer will expect (in a perfect world):
  1. Six spades of not very good quality, or an opening hand with 5 good spades (three honors). This bid is the one most likely to be abused because of the importance in competition of the highest ranking suit.
  2. Eight to 16 HCP
  3. The requirement for tolerance of the fourth suit is waived because of the importance of the spade suit in competition.

OVERCALL OF 1 NOTRUMP

The opponents have announced that they own half the points in the deck, give or take a few, so overcalling 1NT with the expectation of making the bid would be rare. The rest of the time it would be exceedingly dangerous. A better use is to provide the parnership with a means to compete by introducing both unbid suits at the same time. In effect, the 1NT overcall is an unusual notrump, but the overcaller does not have the distribution to make a 2NT call safe. Usually, overcaller will have 5-4 distribution either way in the two unbid suits. The ACBL has rules against strictly obstructive bids, so we have set a lower limit of 8 HCP for ourselves for this bid. There is no upper limit. Stronger hands can be expressed later via doubling the opponents or rebidding in notrump or cue-bidding, if the overcaller loves his hand that much. Just remember that games in situations like this will be very rare, and will be because of distribution, not HCP.

In situations where spades is one of the unbid suits, the overcaller denies the ability to overcall 1S.

Advancing the Unusual 1NT:

  1. All bids in one of our suits are not-forcing, and, essentially, to play, including leaps.
  2. 2NT is an artificial advance, asking for overcaller's 5 card suit.
  3. Cue-bid of opener's minor is natural, and to play (6+ card suit).
  4. Cue-bid of responder's suit asks for a stopper (initially).
  5. A leap to 3NT is to play. If the opponents have competed to the 3 level, 3NT asks for overcaller's 5 card suit.
  6. A leaping cue-bid is splinter, and a game try.

Thank You For Your Time

E-mail comments

Back to Bridge Table of Contents

This page hosted by Get your ownFree Home Page
blank / retropoet / 9375 / SoHo / Geocities / retropoet@oocities.com / revised March 1998